England's 2007 Rugby World Cup coach Brian Ashton MBE has agreed to return to his old club Fylde RFC as Coaching Consultant.
Ashton left his coaching position with England in 2008 after the RFU cleared the way for Martin Johnson to take charge of the national team.
Ashton is widely considered to be one of the most visionary coaches in the global game, he has recently moved back to the Lytham area and will now help Head Coach Mark Nelson in the development of Fylde's senior squad.
Ashton played scrum-half at the Woodlands from 1966-1973 before moving to Orrell and then having a spell overseas at Montferrand, Roma and Milan.
He then switched to coaching and had a brief spell back at the Woodlands in 1980/81 whilst teaching at Stonyhurst College before an appointment at Kings School Bruton, near Bath.
He became Head Coach at Bath RFC before moving to the international scene as Head Coach of Ireland (1996-8) and then England in 2006. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Mark Nelson said: "We are all delighted that Brian has agreed to assist us. He has one of the most astute brains in rugby and we hope to use him to inspire and enthuse our players. We will be using Brian's arrival as a catalyst to change the way we play the game.
"I was coached by him as a young winger at the Woodlands in 1980 and I can't wait to work with him again."
Brian Ashton said: "I'm pleased to be able to offer my coaching help in a supportive role to Mark and more generally to my old club."
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